Opposite voices have been given at the international conference on 4G/5G technologies in Hanoi about whether Vietnam should prepare itself for the upcoming 5G technology while the 4G one has just been adopted.

The international conference on 4G/5G technologies in Hanoi.

At the conference, many delegates said that the current state of technology growth in Vietnam, the demands of new technologies in both the present and the future, and the common development tendency of the world all decide if Vietnam needed preparation or not.

Telecommunication experts stated that at the end of 2019, the 5G network would be officially commercialized. Therefore, the present should be a proper time for Vietnam to start making plans and strategies for the domestic development of this new technology.

Mr. Mohamed Madkour, Vice-President of Wireless Network Marketingand Head of Global Wireless Branding, Huawei Technologies, shared that the new technology is tens of times as quick as 4G, has lower latency and higher reliability. As a result, in such a rapid development trend in the world at the moment, Vietnam should prepare suitable infrastructure to be ready for it, and this is not at all too soon.

According to Ms. Julie Welch, Vice President of Government Affairs, Southeast Asia, Taiwan & Pacific, Qualcomm Incorporated, in 2017, 40 percent smartphones sold in Vietnam had the ability to use 4G connection. In 2018, this figure is expected to increase to 55 percent, which will be a wonderful chance, along with strong Internet development, for Vietnam to move to 5G.

As a result, the nation needs to consider this matter carefully to keep up with the pace of the world. Network operators have to design their facilities so as to go ahead with the cutting edge technology and timely deliver services to customers when necessary.

Opinions of professionals are that Vietnam should accept this 5G technology as an inevitable growth to bring more opportunities for development. However, there must be plans so that this development is harmonious between rural and urban areas, between different social groups.

It is notable that this new technology is not the destruction of the current infrastructure used for its older versions.

Most telecommunication experts agree that 5G networks will soon be commercialized globally in 2020 since the technology and its standards have been already created. The story will also happen in Vietnam in 2022 at the latest.

Therefore, though necessary facilities for this new technology need time to be fully grown, at the moment, telecom companies in Vietnam can begin developing their abilities to support the to-be 5G services.It is also the time for the government to consider proper plans and strategies for 5G growth.

Experts said that the potential of 4G services in Vietnam was significant. For instance, around 76.4 million 2G subscribers and 41.5 3G ones might have a need to change to 4G subscribers. The expansion of mobile bandwidth and the development of 3G as well as 4G have brought positive economic and social results lately.

Therefore, there must be a strong connection between the government and businesses in the growth of 5G by delivering chances for this new technology to be used in aspects of constructing smart buildings, smart cities, and online video services.

The change from 4G to 5G in Vietnam will need to be different from the one between 3G and 4G. If the intention for the change from 3G to 4G was to satisfy the needs of accessing the Internet via smartphones, the motive for the change to 5G would be to access advanced models in health care, self-propelled vehicles.

Hence, in the time of Industry 4.0, it will never be too soon to begin preparing the national telecommunication infrastructure for 5G as this will create a strong foundation for long-term effective steps in the future.